This invention relates to electrically-heated flavor-delivery articles, and to methods and apparatus for electrically heating a flavor source in order to derive flavor therefrom.
Smoking articles utilizing electrical power for heating and thereby releasing flavor from tobacco and other compounds may have certain advantages over conventional smoking articles. For example, electrically-heated smoking articles produce the taste and sensation of smoking without burning of tobacco. Also, electrically-heated articles do not produce a visible aerosol between puffs. However, there have been various technical problems with electrically-heated articles.
It is desirable to maintain the smoking article at a substantially consistent temperature during operation to produce a relatively consistent release of flavor from puff to puff. The smoking article must reach operating temperature quickly, it must not overheat, and it must remain at the operational temperature long enough to generate/release designed flavors, vapors, and aerosols (hereinafter "flavor components"). The article should also be efficient in terms of its power consumption.